The federal government plans to introduce an emergency protection order for the greater sage grouse in upcoming months. The emergency order will protect the endangered bird by imposing restrictions on provincial and federal crown lands in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Private lands, provincial and federal grazing lands will be free of these restrictions. The greater sage […] Read more
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Farmland exempt from grouse protection order
Alta. farmers should be cautious about flood-damaged farm equipment
LONGVIEW, Alta. — June floods inundated farm equipment in various parts of southern Alberta, and now some of that equipment could be coming to auction. It’s a case of buyer beware. Janet Patriquin, assistant farmer’s advocate, said no issues have yet been reported, but those in the market for used equipment should be aware of […] Read more
Canola has a rollercoaster day
Canola futures surged and slumped and recovered a bit to end up virtually where they started at the beginning of Tuesday. November canola futures opened at $489 per tonne, rose to $497.40, slumped to $487.80, then closed at $489.40, only 40 cents, or 0.08 percent, lower than yesterday’s close. That pattern was echoed in soybean […] Read more
Informa lowers U.S. 2013 corn crop forecast
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Private analytics firm Informa Economics lowered its forecast of U.S. 2013 corn production to 13.80 billion bushels, from 14.013 billion previously, trade sources said on Tuesday. The firm also lowered its 2013 U.S. soybean crop estimate to 3.22 billion bushels, from its Sept. 6 estimate of 3.239 billion. An Informa official had […] Read more
PMRA questions neonicotinoid use; Bayer announces better method
Bayer CropScience released details of new seed treatment technology today that, based on company data, reduces the amount of insecticide-laden dust when planting corn and soybeans. The Bayer announcement follows a Pest Management Regulatory Agency document that came out Sept. 13. In that document, the PMRA stated “the use of neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean […] Read more
Mosaic CEO says Uralkali potash plan fails ‘economic sniff test’
(Reuters) — Uralkali’s revamped potash marketing plan, focusing on maximizing sales volume rather than price, fails the “economic sniff test,” Mosaic Co. Jim Prokopanko said on Tuesday. Prices of the crop nutrient have slipped since midsummer, when the biggest global producer, Russia’s Uralkali OAO, quit its export partnership with Belaruskali and said it would seek […] Read more
USDA updates farmer-reported U.S. crop planting totals
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Farmers who participated in U.S. crop subsidy programs reported “prevented plantings” of 3.573 million acres of corn and 1.687 million acres of soybeans for 2013, the Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday. “We did see the prevent planted acres go up a little and the numbers are probably a little bit supportive […] Read more
Alberta’s debit card program for flood victims ends Sept. 30
A debit card program used by the provincial government to help southern Albertans affected by June floods will end Sept. 30. Almost $70 million has been distributed through the program, which involved issuing pre-loaded debit cards with $1,250 per adult and $500 per child. The funds were to be used for immediate housing and other […] Read more
Canola tumbles with soybeans
Soybeans dragged canola lower Monday, helping to make crops the weakest commodity class in world markets. Canola fell $9.60 per tonne to $489.80 per tonne for the November contract and fell $9.20 to $498.20 for January. That echoed soybeans’ decline of 33 cents on the November contract to $13.48 per bushel and a fall of […] Read more
USDA weighing what to do in case of GMO alfalfa contamination
(Reuters) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is evaluating whether or not to take action in the case of a Washington state farmer whose alfalfa crop was contaminated with a genetically modified trait that some export customers will not accept, a spokesman said on Monday. “We’re still in discussion with the Washington State Department of […] Read more
